Abortion rights supporters say a rewrite of Louisiana's abortion clinic regulations is aimed at forcing clinics to close, as leaders in conservative Southern states continue to add new limitations to the procedure.

Ellie Schilling, a lawyer representing the state's abortion clinics, said the new rules have burdensome paperwork requirements, far-reaching operational regulations and limited ways for a clinic to appeal when its license is yanked.

Louisiana's regulation rewrite comes as several Southern states are tied up in legal battles over abortion restrictions they've added in recent years.